NAMI NEW JERSEY
1562 ROUTE 130, NORTH BRUNSWICK, NJ 089023004 www.naminj.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: THE MISSION OF NAMI NEW JERSEY (NAMI NJ) IS TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES AFFECTED BY MENTAL ILLNESS THROUGH SUPPORT, EDUCATION AND ADVOCACY. WE STRIVE TO ADVANCE UNDERSTANDING AND ELIMINATE THE STIGMA OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH MENTAL ILLNESS.

EDUCATION:NAMI NJ TRANSLATES THE FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCES OF THOSE AFFECTED BY MENTAL ILLNESS, IN THE EDUCATION OF FAMILY MEMBERS AND THOSE IN RECOVERY. FAMILY TO FAMILY IS A NAMI SIGNATURE PROGRAM. FAMILY TO FAMILY IS A FREE, 8-WEEK COURSE THAT TEACHES WHAT MENTAL ILLNESS IS, DIFFERENT DIAGNOSES, HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR LOVED ONE, AND HOW TO SEPARATE THE ILLNESS FROM YOUR LOVED ONES. IN THE FALL OF 2019, THERE WERE 12 CLASSES ACROSS THE STATE, WITH 162 PARTICIPANTS AND AN AVERAGE RATING RESPONSE OF 4.71 OUT OF 5. ACROSS THE STATE WE HAVE 87 PROGRAM LEADERS TRAINED TO TEACH THE CLASS; AND WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH A CORE GROUP TO BRING THESE CLASSES ONLINE.IN OUR OWN VOICE (IOOV) IS A NAMI SIGNATURE PROGRAM DESIGNED TO TRAIN INDIVIDUALS WITH VARIOUS MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS TO GIVE PRESENTATIONS ABOUT THEIR ILLNESS AND RECOVERY. THE PROGRAM IS A POWERFUL TOOL FOR COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND REDUCING STIGMA BY PUTTING A HUMAN FACE ON AN OFTEN MISUNDERSTOOD AREA OF HUMAN SUFFERING. PRESENTATIONS CAN BE MADE IN BUSINESSES, SCHOOLS, COMMUNITY EVENTS, OR COLLEGE CLASSROOMS. THIS PAST YEAR, MORE THAN 169 PRESENTATIONS WERE HELD TO A TOTAL AUDIENCE OF MORE THAN 4,100 PEOPLE. NAMI BASICS IS A NAMI SIGNATURE PROGRAM FOR PARENTS AND OTHER CAREGIVERS OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS LIVING WITH MENTAL ILLNESSES. THE COURSE IS TAUGHT BY TRAINED TEACHERS WHO ARE THE PARENT OR OTHER CAREGIVERS OF INDIVIDUALS WHO DEVELOPED THE SYMPTOMS OF MENTAL ILLNESS IN CHILDHOOD. ALL INSTRUCTION AND COURSE MATERIALS ARE FREE TO CLASS PARTICIPANTS. 15 PROGRAMS LEADERS ARE TRAINED TO TEACH THIS COURSE, AND ARE BRINGING THE CLASSES ONLINE TO ENABLE PARENTS OF CHILDREN BETTER ACCESS TO THIS RESOURCE. HEARTS AND MINDS IS AN EDUCATION PROGRAM GEARED TOWARD EDUCATING THOSE LIVING WITH PSYCHIATRIC CONDITIONS ABOUT THE PHYSICAL EFFECTS THEIR ILLNESS MAY HAVE ON THEIR BODIES. RESEARCH HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT PEOPLE LIVING WITH SEVERE PSYCHIATRIC CONDITIONS MAY HAVE AN INCREASED RISK OF HEART DISEASE AND RELATED CONDITIONS. NAMI NEW JERSEY'S HEARTS & MINDS PROGRAM IS AN HOUR-LONG LIVE PRESENTATION FOCUSING ON INNER AND OUTER WELLNESS FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH A MENTAL ILLNESS. HEARTS & MINDS SEEKS TO RAISE AWARENESS AND PROVIDE INFORMATION ON: MEDICAL SELF-ADVOCACY, SMOKING CESSATION, ADDICTIONS, HEALTHY EATING, EXERCISE, AND DIABETES. THE PROGRAM IS FREE TO ANY FACILITY OR GROUP THROUGHOUT THE STATE AND INCLUDES GOAL SETTING AND EXERCISE AND FOOD JOURNALING. LAST YEAR, THERE WERE 94 PRESENTATIONS THAT REACHED 1,626 INDIVIDUALS.

SUPPORT GROUPS:IN NAMI NJ SELF-HELP SUPPORT GROUPS, CARING MEMBERS HELP ONE ANOTHER LEARN TO COPE WITH THE EFFECTS OF MENTAL ILLNESS. THEY FIND UNDERSTANDING ACCEPTANCE AND MUTUAL SUPPORT IN TIMES OF CRISIS. FACE TO FACE INTERACTIONS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY HELP FILLS A VOID OF UNDERSTANDING THAT CAN ONLY BE FILLED BY OTHERS WHO KNOW WHAT WE ARE GOING THROUGH.NAMI NJ CONNECTION SUPPORT GROUPS ARE FOR ADULTS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS IN RECOVERY REGARDLESS OF THE DIAGNOSIS. GROUPS MEET FOR 90 MINUTES AND ARE LED BY TRAINED INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE ALSO IN RECOVERY AND UNDERSTAND THE CHALLENGES THEY FACE. WE HELD 223 GROUPS THAT ENGAGED NEARLY 1,500 PEOPLE.NAMI FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP IS A PEER-LED SUPPORT GROUP FOR FAMILY MEMBERS, CAREGIVERS, AND LOVED ONES OF INDIVIDUALS LIVING WITH MENTAL ILLNESS. WE HELD 431 SUPPORT GROUPS ACROSS THE STATE WITH MORE THAN 2,400 INDIVIDUALS PARTICIPATING.

OUTREACH:OUTREACH AND AWARENESS EVENTS TAKE THE STIGMA BUSTING INTO THE COMMUNITY. THROUGH AWARENESS, NAMI NJ WORKS TO BREAK THE STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH MENTAL ILLNESS AND BRING EDUCATION AND UNDERSTANDING TO THE STATE.NAMI NJ'S ANNUAL CONFERENCE WAS HELD ON DECEMBER 7, 2019, AND HOSTED MORE THAN 220 PEOPLE WITH AN OVERALL SATISFACTION RATING OF 4.44 OUT OF 5. WITH THE THEME OF "PREVENTION, RECOVERY, AND WELLNESS: HOPE FOR THE FUTURE," ATTENDEES LEARNED ABOUT SELF-ADVOCACY AND ITS ROLES IN WELLNESS AND PREVENTION. DESPITE THE COVID PANDEMIC RESTRICTIONS ON GATHERINGS, THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, NAMI NJ HELD MORE THAN 18 OUTREACHES THAT REACHED MORE THAN 3,700 PEOPLE ACROSS THE STATE.MULTICULTURAL OUTREACHES ARE A KEY PIECE OF NAMI NJ'S WORK IN THIS DIVERSE STATE. OUR CULTURE, BELIEFS, SEXUAL IDENTITY, VALUES, RACE, AND LANGUAGE ALL AFFECT HOW WE PERCEIVE AND EXPERIENCE MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS. IN FACT, CULTURAL DIFFERENCES CAN INFLUENCE WHAT TREATMENTS, COPING MECHANISMS, AND SUPPORTS WORK FOR US. IT IS THEREFORE ESSENTIAL FOR CULTURE AND IDENTITY TO BE A PART OF THE CONVERSATION AS WE DISCUSS BOTH MENTAL HEALTH AND MENTAL HEALTH CARE. WHEN A MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL UNDERSTANDS THE ROLE THAT CULTURAL DIFFERENCES PLAY IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF A CONDITION, AND INCORPORATES CULTURAL NEEDS AND DIFFERENCES INTO A PERSON'S CARE, IT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVES OUTCOMES. THIS IS WHY MENTAL HEALTH CARE MUST BE TAILORED TO THE INDIVIDUAL TO THEIR IDENTITY, CULTURE, AND EXPERIENCE.NAMI NEW JERSEY PROVIDES OUTREACH TO CULTURALLY DIVERSE COMMUNITIES TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND AND ACCESS MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES. SPECIFIC CULTURAL OUTREACH PROGRAMS INCLUDE OUTREACH TO THE CHINESE, SOUTH ASIAN, LATINX, AND AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES. MORE THAN 700 INDIVIDUALS PARTICIPATE ACROSS THE 4 MULTICULTURAL PROGRAMS ACROSS THE STATE.AS WE CONTINUE OUR WORK IN CULTURAL HUMILITY, NAMI NJ WILL BE EXPANDING ITS OUTREACH TO VETERANS, LGBTQ+, ASYLEE COMMUNITIES. COMMUNICATIONS TO OUR STATE MEMBERS CONTINUE WE HAVE MORE THAN 11,000 SUBSCRIBERS ON OUR EMAIL LIST, SENDING MORE THAN 235 EMAILS LAST YEAR. IN THE PAST YEAR, OUR WEBSITE 36,000 VIEWS, WITH MORE THAN 11,000 UNIQUE VISITORS.

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